Anyone?

Anyone know how to get the little "Digg" icon to pop up next to new posts?

Nerd Item of the Week

This is an USB Missile launcher. It connects to your USB port, you control it with your computer, and fire little foam rockets at passer's by.

Perfect for the war on cubicle terror.

Daily Show Daily Observation

I was watching the Daily Show and the Colbert Report today. Is it just me, or do Larry Wilmore ("Senior Black Correspondent" from the Daily Show) and Jocelyn Elders (Former Surgeon General - mention in commentary on the Colbert Report) look a lot alike?

I'll leave it up to you do decide. It may be just me.

Threat number 5: Robots! Threat number 4: Bears! Threat number 3: Robots! threat number 2: Bears! and threat number 1: Robot Bears!
- Stephen Colbert

News of the Week

Too much to do, too much time playing "RoShamBull" on facebook.

Stop making fun of me.

Now, for the news:

- Harriet Miers was going to be called in to testify about the attorney firings, but she was so unqualified to testify before a panel, that congress voted she not actually speak.
- Bush gets his watch stolen in Albania by his adoring fans.

He is also pregnant.
- Judge denies bail for Robert Soloway, the "Spam King." In unrelated news, it looks like I will be blogging for a while because that Nigerian guy didn't get back to me.
- Virginia apologizes for slavery, rocketing them into 1975.
- Bill O'Reilly says that murdering soldiers doesn't matter.
- Bush, unfortunately, is still president.

June 10th - 1500 days since the declaration of mission accomplished

Bush is such a Schmuck.

This is the 1501st day since the declaration of "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq. Yesterday, I celebrated by realizing that a "MudSlide" is probably the greatest alcoholic beverage of all time.

Still, the anniversary of "Mission Accomplished" represents an interesting moment in American history - a single moment, with a single two words, that reflect the irony of 1500 more days of tremendous failure.

I don't believe there are any two words that hold such an opposite meaning. Similar to how "military intelligence" was long held as that hilarious "oxymoron" joke.

I open up this post as a forum to anyone who can think of any two words that have the same affect. Any combination of words that, when uttered, bring to mind a colossally different state of events.

That is, of course, besides "President" and "Bush." That's a given.

Teddy Bear Robot to Rescue Injured Soldiers

Because nothing says "reassuring" when your chunks of your spleen are oozing out your bullet holes like a teddy bear... robot.

from BBC News:

The US military is developing a robot with a teddy bear-style head to help carry injured soldiers away from the battlefield.

At this point, wouldn't we all be more shocked if they weren't?

The Battlefield Extraction Assist Robot (BEAR) can scoop up even the heaviest of casualties and transport them over long distances over rough terrain.

New Scientist magazine reports that the "friendly appearance" of the robot is designed to put the wounded at ease.

It is expected to be ready for testing within five years.

While it is important to get medical attention for injured soldiers as soon as possible, it is often difficult and dangerous for their comrades to reach them and carry them back.

The 6ft tall Bear can cross bumpy ground without toppling thanks to a combination of gyroscopes and computer controlled motors to maintain balance.

It is also narrow enough to squeeze through doorways, but can lift 135kg with its hydraulic arms in a single smooth movement, to avoid causing pain to wounded soldiers.

While the existing prototype slides its arms under its burden like a forklift, future versions will be fitted with manoeuvrable hands to gently scoop up casualties.

The Bear is controlled remotely and has cameras and microphones through which an operator sees and hears.

It can even tackle stairs while carrying a human-sized dummy.

Daniel Theobald, the president of Vecna Technologies, which is developing the robot for the US Army, said: "We saw a need for a robot that can essentially go where a human can. The robot will be an integral part of a military team."

Gary Gilbert, from the US Army's Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Centre in Frederick, Maryland, said that the teddy bear appearance was deliberate.

"A really important thing when you're dealing with casualties is trying to maintain that human touch."

Vecna is working on other potential applications for the robot technology - including helping move heavy patients in hospital.

Curious about what makes this life saving mechanical stuffed animal so amazing? That's covered:

1. Teddy bear face designed to be reassuring

2. Hydraulic upper body carries up to 227kgs (500lbs)

3. When kneeling tracked "legs" travel over rubble. Switches to wheels on smooth surfaces

4. Dynamic Balance Behaviour (DBB) technology allows the robot to stand and carry loads upright on its ankles, knees or hips for nearly an hour

Wow...

The Double Outhouse

So true.

Mr. Libby, No One Likes a Wet Blanket

Librocrats is taking predictions for how many days before Scooter Libby goes to prison he will be pardoned. The common answer is "the day before." The Librocrat website reserves "not at all" for itself - due to the Bush Administration never admitting any mistakes/failures. The winner gets to write their own post and have it linked to their site in large, bolded font.

From the New York Times:

A conservative with close ties to the administration, who requested anonymity to speak frankly, put it another way: “Letting Scooter go to jail would be a politically irrational symbol to the last chunk of the 29 percent upon which he stands,” a reference to the low percentage of Americans who tell pollsters they support Mr. Bush.

To Anonymous guy - Do you really think that the remaining 29% are going to be affected by something "irrational?" It seems that "Bush Supporters" and "Irrational" seem to get along quite well.

Photo courtesy of the illustrated daily scribble.

Weak

I recognize it has been a while since I've posted any scathing political news, but I have to post this too:

Paris Hilton leaves prison, due to "health concerns," after only five days and moves into house arrest. That's ridiculous. What did she have? Crabs? Were they afraid that she would give all the other inmates crabs? She was in a "special facility" designed for high-profile criminals. It's like the penthouse of prison cells. How bad could it have been?

There really is no justice. This is weak.

Racist Seizures

I decided to post this even before I read the story. I saw this on the front page of the New York Times:

Controversy Over London’s Olympic Logo
By ALAN COWELL

The logo for the 2012 Olympics has been compared to a swastika and has been said to provoke epileptic seizures.

Full Story Here.

Random, Funny, Apolitical Photos of the Day

Think about it....

This is a DVD Rewinder. This actually exists, so don't knock it. Some guy had his own DVD rewinder store, selling this for 15.95 (on sale).

God the Japanese are so cool. What better way to rest your wrists than sticking them between two breasts on a mousepad. I know you want one, so buy yours here: Azumi Gel Busty Anime Mousepad

Biking Brilliance

Forgotten Candidates

Sometimes I don't root for the underdog. But with Ron Paul about to be on the Daily Show (or was on the daily show, if you're on the east coast), I was thinking about the underdog candidates in this year's presidential election. The Republicans have Paul, who has been making a killing online - if not in actual polls - ironically because he is a socially liberal Republican (are these still the 30% of individuals who like Bush?). Democrats have Bill Richardson, and possibly Chris Dodd and Kucinich. Should we count these people out because they are far behind? In fact, maybe we should, since (at least for Democrats) there seems little possibility that John Edwards, Barack Obama, AND Hillary Clinton all lose poll numbers with such a fervor that one of the 4th or lower candidates rises to the top. Maybe if it were only two... And that's too bad, because I like Richardson. And the rest of them for that matter.

But it still seems a little early for MSNBC and CNN to completely ignore the other candidates except for some post-game interviews. After it is over, don't talk about how well Clinton, Obama and Edwards did. Talk about how they all did. Be inclusive. We watched the debate, and we will see the video of it afterwards on YouTube or read about it on blogs - but I want to know how everyone did, and how the critics/pundits thought about all the candidates. Wait until people start dropping out (I'm looking at you, Jim Gilmore) before focusing on the top. You have over a year.

"And the stone that sits on the very top of the mountain's mighty face - Does it think it's more important than the stones that form the base?"
- "Through Heavan's Eyes" - Price of Egypt

A Political Cartoon for the Day

So true.

Abuse and Incompetence

... in the fight against global warming, says journalist Nick Davies of the Guardian.

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which is supposed to offset greenhouse gases emitted in the developed world by selling carbon credits from elsewhere, has been contaminated by gross incompetence, rule-breaking and possible fraud by companies in the developing world, according to UN paperwork, an unpublished expert report and alarming feedback from projects on the ground.

Three of the companies (of only 17 in the world) that monitor carbon credits have failed spot checks, and up to 1/3rd of the credits in India were wrongly approved. In one organization's case, the findings "were so bad that the board considered suspending its right to work."

An inside source told the guardian that there were "all kinds of basic errors which make you wonder if they have any idea what they're doing."

[An expert adviser] found evidence of projects supplying false information which was then accepted by the companies who were supposed to check it. In one case cited in the report, he accuses an Indian company of making statements which were "blatantly false".

The Whole Story Here.

Jack Kevorkian Released From Prison

Kevorkian had been in prison since 1999, for one of the many assisted suicides he was involved in.

What do Liberals/Conservatives, Democrats/Republicans think of the issue? The Kevorkian debate was long before my time. When he was in prison, I wasn't old enough to vote, and I haven't formed an opinion yet.